Best private / self-hosted context & RAG layer (2026)
Code-context and RAG layers you can run entirely on your own infrastructure — no code shipped to a third-party index. Filtered to local / self-hostable options.
🏆 Top pick: Continue codebase indexing
Continue codebase indexing runs locally / self-hosted, so your code never leaves your machines while still giving the LLM repo context.
The ranked list
| # | Tool | Hosting | Index type | Update mode | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Continue codebase indexing | Local | Embeddings | On-demand | Yes |
| 2 | Local ChromaDB | Local | Embeddings | On-demand | Yes |
| 3 | Sourcegraph Cody Context | Cloud | AST / Hybrid | Real-time | Yes |
| 4 | Qdrant | Cloud | Embeddings | On-demand | Yes |
| 5 | Weaviate | Cloud | AST / Hybrid | On-demand | Yes |
| 6 | LanceDB | Local | Embeddings | On-demand | Yes |
| 7 | pgvector | Local | HNSW | On-demand | Yes |
| 8 | Milvus | Cloud | HNSW | Real-time | Yes |
Why each made the list
1 Continue codebase indexing
Local-first codebase indexing for use with any model
2 Local ChromaDB
DIY local embedding-based codebase search with full control
3 Sourcegraph Cody Context
Cross-repo code search and context for large organizations with Sourcegraph backend
4 Qdrant
Open-source vector DB with self-hosted and cloud options for codebase RAG
5 Weaviate
Hybrid vector + keyword search with built-in vectorization for codebase RAG
6 LanceDB
Serverless embedded vector DB, zero-setup local codebase RAG for desktop apps
7 pgvector
Vector search inside an existing PostgreSQL database; no new infra required
8 Milvus
Billion-scale vector indexing for production RAG; self-hosted or Zilliz Cloud managed
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